Fire and Water
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Summary: A mysterious being with an experiment to do presents a choice to Annabeth and Percy: remain where they are, or go 500 years into the future? They take the plunge and soon find themselves in the middle of a well-known story: The Hunger Games. They'll have to get out alive and bring back someone very special to save the world. Easy, right? Rated T.
1. Prologue

**So, first crossover. This is the first draft, so it might be a bit rough. Post any ideas in the reviews, please.**

 **By the way: This is told in alternating perspectives, switching between Katniss and Percy (hence the name). I haven't quite mastered Percy's POV yet, so if you have advice, let me know!**

Annabeth frowned at the shining mass in front of her. "So." she said, "you want me to be part of an experiment to go forward in time?"

 _Yes,_ a voice in her mind hissed. _If you do this, my experiment will be complete and I can release the idea of time travel to the world of gods! All you need to do is agree. It's perfectly safe._

"But if it's an experiment, how can you know it's safe? Who are you, anyway?"

 _The question of my identity is a question for a later time. As for the safety of this, I have done this experiment on numerous others and all have come back alive and well, if a bit shaken._

"Um, okay. How long will I be there? And where will I be?" She paused as a new thought came into her mind. "And what about Percy?"

 _So many questions,_ the voice said. _You'll be there for two months their time, but not a second will pass here. As far as I can predict, you'll stay in North America. What area of the continent you're in depends on your own decisions. And as for your boyfriend, well, he can stay here or come with you. It's your choice._

Annabeth glanced at the nearby fountain and pulled a golden drachma from her pocket. "Let me talk to him," she said. She tossed the drachma into the mist, said a quick prayer to Iris, and asked for Percy Jackson at Camp Half-Blood. His face appeared in the mist, looking surprised. "Oh," she said. "Are you busy?"

"No," Percy replied. "What's up?"

Annabeth quickly explained the situation. Percy thought about it for a minute, then said, "Sounds interesting. Can we get back if anything happens?"

The shining thing beside Annabeth said aloud in a quiet, deep voice, "I will bring you back if anything too bad happens, for instance, if one of you dies or something . . . dangerous begins in the country I'm sending you to."

"If one of us _dies?_ " Annabeth yelled.

"I assure you, it wouldn't be permanent. As soon as I brought you back, you would both be perfectly fine with no memory of the event. Like I said, not a second will have passed. I will be the only one with any knowledge of what has happened."

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other for a long moment, then Percy nodded in consent. They blinked, and their whole world changed.

 _Author's note: You, my reader, have probably realized that neither Percy nor Annabeth is at all suspicious of this mysterious being, as they would be normally. This is not a mistake on my behalf, as one of the being's scribes. This is not a mistake at all. This being is more powerful than any they have faced before. If you have not guessed its identity already, I will not tell you much, only that it can manipulate minds and, well, almost anything it wants, really. Try not to panic, and perhaps my master will let me write on._


	2. Katniss Everdeen, Pre-Reaping

**Crud, guys, I am SO SORRY. It's been almost two months since I posted the prologue! Please, pleeeeeeeease forgive me.**

 **Also, I included some book quotes and all the book dialog. Please don't say you would have wanted me to "be more creative." It's just that often, Suzanne Collins is too incredible for improvement.**

When Katniss wakes, the other side of her bed is cold. She reaches for her sister, Prim, but finds there's nothing there except the rough mattress cover. She probably had nightmares and slept in their mother's bed. It's likely – today is reaping day.

A dim light fills the room. Katniss props herself up on an elbow, looking at her mother and Prim, curled up together. Her mother seems years younger when she sleeps – worn, but not so beaten down. Prim, of course, looks beautiful, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. People say Mrs. Everdeen looked like that once. Katniss doesn't believe it.

Sitting at Prim's knees, guarding her, is a creature Katniss considers to be the world's ugliest cat. Half of the tom's ear is missing, his nose is mashed in. His eyes are the color of rotten squash. His coat is a muddy yellow, contradicting the name Prim gave him. Buttercup. Unlike the bright flower, he hates Katniss. Or at least distrusts her. Perhaps he still remembers when Katniss tried to kill him, after Prim brought him home. He was a horrible, scrawny little thing. Belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing Katniss needed was another mouth to feed. But she couldn't resist poor Prim's begging and pleading, and had to let him stay. It turned out all right, in the end. Their mother got rid of the vermin, and Buttercup was born to be a mouser. He even catches the occasional rat. They tolerate each other, mainly for Prim's sake. Sometimes, though, when Katniss cleans a kill, she feeds Buttercup the entrails. He doesn't hiss at her anymore.

Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest they will ever come to love.

Katniss swings her legs off of the bed and into her supple leather boots. They've molded to her feet, and are quite good for when she's hunting. She dresses quickly, tucks her braid into a cap, and grabs a forage bag. There's a wooden bowl overturned on the little table. Underneath it is a lump of goat cheese, wrapped in basil leaves. It's Prim's gift to Katniss on reaping day. She slips it carefully into her pocket and heads outside.

Katniss lives in the part of District 12 nicknamed the Seam. If this were a normal day, it would be crawling with coal miners on their way to work. Men and women with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, many who have long since stopped trying to clean the coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken faces. But today, the black cinder streets are empty. The shutters on the squat gray houses closed. The reaping isn't until two. May as well sleep in. If you can.

Katniss' home is almost on the edge of the Seam. She only has to pass a few houses to reach a scruffy field people call the Meadow. Separating the Meadow from the woods and enclosing the entire district is a chain-link fence topped with loops of barbed wire. It's supposed to be electrified at all times to keep the predators out – and the starving citizens in – but since an occurrence like that would be like snow in July, it's typically safe to touch. Even so, Katniss always takes a moment to listen for the telltale hum of electricity. Right now, she can't hear a thing. She flattens out on her belly and slides under a clump of bushes and a bit of fence that's been loose for as long as she can remember. There are many weak spots like this one, but it's so close to her house she always uses it.

A bow and sheath of arrows waits for Katniss in a hollow log just inside the trees. In the woods predators roam freely, and there are other dangers such as venomous snakes and rabid animals. But there's also food if you know how to find it. Katniss' father knew. He taught her how before he was killed in a mine explosion. There wasn't even a body to bury. Katniss was eleven then. Even five years later, she wakes up screaming for him to run.

Being outside the fence except for officially sanctioned duties is illegal and hunting carries a severe penalty – death – but many more would do it if they had weapons. Katniss' bow is rare beyond measure. It and a few others were made by her father long ago. Katniss keeps them hidden, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. Her father could have gotten rich selling them at the Hob, District 12's black market, but if the officials discovered it, he would have been executed for inciting a rebellion. Most of the Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few who hunt because they want fresh meat as much as the rest of them. In fact, they're among Katniss' best customers. But anyone considered to be arming the Seam would be killed.

In autumn, some sneak under the fence to pick apples. But always in sight of the Meadow. Always close enough to run back to the safety of District 12 if trouble arises. "District Twelve," Katniss mutters, "where you can starve to death in safety." Then she casts a quick glance behind her. There are ears everywhere, sometimes even here.

When Katniss was small, she would scare her mother half to death with the things she would say about the people in the far-off city called the Capitol, almost as large as a district, who rule their country, Panem. Eventually she realized that this would just lead to trouble and so learned to hold her tongue. Do her schoolwork quickly and quietly. Make only polite small talk in the public market. Talk about little more than trades in the Hob, where she makes most of her money. At home, where she's very slightly less pleasant, she doesn't discuss serious topics, like the reapings, or the common food shortages, or the Hunger Games. She fears Prim would start to repeat her words, and then where would they be?

As she scales the hills, Katniss can feel her pace quickening, the muscles in her face relaxing. On a rock ledge overlooking the valley is the only person with whom she can be herself. The sight of Gale waiting for her brings a smile to her face. He says she never smiles outside of the woods.

"Hey, Catnip," says Gale. When Katniss first told him her name, she barely whispered it. He'd thought she'd said Catnip. It became his official name for her when a lynx began following her around when she was hunting. Katniss eventually shot the lynx because it scared off game. She had enjoyed the company, but she did get a good price for the pelt.

Gale shows her an arrow with a loaf of bread stuck on the end. "Look what I shot," he says, and Katniss laughs, grabbing it. It's not the flat, dense stuff made from grain rations; it's real bakery bread. Gale must have been at bakery before dawn to trade for it. Katniss pulls the arrow out and holds the warm crust to her nose. The aroma makes her mouth water. Fine bread like this is for special occasions.

"Mm, still warm. What did it cost you?" she asks.

"Just a squirrel," Gale replies. "Think the old man was feeling sentimental this morning. Even wished me luck."

"Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we?" says Katniss. She doesn't even take the time to roll her eyes before pulling out the gift. "Prim left us a cheese."

His eyes light up at the sight of it. "Thank you, Prim. We'll have a real feast." Suddenly he's talking in a Capitol accent, mimicking Effie Trinket, District 12's escort. Most are sure that she's required by law to be so maniacally upbeat and make the reaping seem like the world's greatest party. Funny, since she's the one who reads the names, selects the children who will be going to their deaths.

"I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" Gale turns and picks a few berries from the blackberry bushes surrounding the ledge. "And may the odds –" He tosses one in a high arc to Katniss.

She's had practice at this. The berry lands squarely in her mouth, and sweet tartness explodes across her tongue as she bites it. "– be _ever_ in your favor!" she finishes with equal verve. The jokes get old, but the only other option is to be scared out of your wits. Besides, no one in the districts can resist using the Capitol accent on occasion. Almost anything sounds funny in it, it's so affected.

As Gale pulls out a knife to slice the bread, Katniss watches. They could be twins. They share the straight black hair, the olive skin, the gray eyes. They're in no way related, though. Most of the Seam families look like this. That's why Katniss' mother and sister seem so out of place with their blond hair and blue eyes. They are. Mrs. Everdeen's parents were members of the merchant class that sells to officials, Peacekeepers, and the occasional Seam customer. They ran an apothecary shop in the nicer part of District 12 – the part outside of the Seam and mine entrances. It's quite small, containing just the square, the mayor's house, and the school, and the areas surrounding each. Many consider it a mini-Capitol, where people are happier and completely oblivious to the people of the Seam. A few do care, though. Annabeth Undersee, the mayor's older daughter, goes to the Seam frequently. Mostly to see her boyfriend, but she helps others when she can. The Everdeens see her a lot, when she brings them medicines from her mother. It would be hard to run the apothecary shop without her.

No one can afford doctors in District 12, so apothecaries are their substitution. Katniss' parents got to know each other because her father would sell her mother medicinal herbs brought back from his hunts. Katniss knows how much her mother loved her father, and tries to remember that when all she sees is the woman who sat by, blank and unreachable, while her children turned to skin and bones. She wants to forgive her, for her father's sake, but she's really not one to forgive.

This turns her thoughts back to Annabeth Undersee, even less forgiving than Katniss. She has a sister a year younger than her named Madge and a boyfriend from the Seam named Percy Jackson. Both know not to get on her bad side – she'll either hold a grudge for days or grab your arm and flip you over. No one knows where she learned that trick. _She'd be good in the Games,_ Katniss thinks.

Gale snaps his fingers below her nose. "Catnip? Anyone home?"

She starts. "Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking." Looking around, she sees Gale's already spread the cheese onto bread slices and carefully placed a basil leaf on each. She hurriedly begins stripping the bushes of their berries.

As she busies herself, Gale asks, "About?"

"Just the Games," she says. "Annabeth Undersee might make it, with her flipping thing."

He nods, probably remembering the last time Annabeth had flipped him. It was last year, when he was 17 and she was 16. He had been pretending to flirt with her, and she had missed the "pretending" part. Despite his size and weight compared to hers, it was hard for him to walk for a week. She still hasn't apologized.

 **I know that chapter ending sucks, but I'm at about 2,000 words and I've kind of hit a wall ;-; Percy's going to be next. If you have any tips or suggestions on his POV, PLEASE offer them. I'm not so awesome at writing as Percy. Also, the next chapter will be out in less then two months. :)**


	3. Percy Jackson, Pre-Reaping

**At long last, Chapter 2! So sorry it took so long... hope you like it.**

 **It recently occurred to me that I should thank y'all for your reviews. I probably would have abandoned this story if it wasn't for you :** Thanks! Let me know if you come up with one :) **SUNICORN:** One month and three days. Ha. **MarineDolphin:** Glad to know it's worthy of caps lock. Love your guest name, by the way. **MazeLover:** Only one thing to say... heheheheh. *rubbing hands together evilly*

 _ **MEGA SPOILER ALERT! The Blood of Olympus (kind of major), The Hidden Oracle (major), Demigods & Magicians (super duper major - pretty much spoils the entire last short story), Mockingjay (pretty major but we all saw it coming anyway)**_

Percy didn't know what to think. In the past few months, he'd battled the Earth Mother, found out his mom was pregnant, discovered the Egyptian gods (and saved the world from a four-thousand-year-old Elvis magician wanting to become a god, sharing a mind with a vulture goddess in the process), and had his mind blown when Nico di Angelo announced that he had a boyfriend. And now he was 500 years into the future with Annabeth. Well, why the Hades not?

Except... where was Annabeth? And where was he? Looking around, he saw he was in a bedroom on a second floor. He could see train tracks out the window, which was covered with a metal grate. The door to his room was a colorful patchwork quilt. He was sitting on his bed – a thin mattress with a rough canvas cover on top of two wooden crates. An identical bed sat at the other end of the room, and on it lay a boy, maybe six or seven. _Tyson,_ Percy thought. This would make sense. The kid looked exactly like Tyson, except he was about two feet shorter and had two eyes. Percy didn't know how, but he was absolutely positive that this kid was his younger brother. He hoped everything was like this; apparently, some future Percy Jackson had lived here all his life. Now Percy didn't really want anyone to wonder why Future Percy didn't know their name.

He tried to conjure up an image in his mind. If Future Percy had told Now Percy about Tyson, maybe he could get an idea of what it looked like outside without going outside. That may have been a bad idea. Memories flooded his brain, almost knocking him over. Future Percy's mom had died a couple years ago. The family lived and worked at the train station, and she had been caught trying to smuggle a bag of apples into the house. Percy hadn't attended the execution. Percy's dad was a much thinner version of Smelly Gabe, except he didn't play poker and drank white liquor instead of beer. Future Percy told him Father – for some reason, the word _Dad_ didn't exist here - spent almost as much on alcohol as... Haymitch Abernathy.

 _Holy Hera._ Percy's brain said a few words that would have made Percy's mom wash its mouth – if it had one. He was in _The Hunger Games!?_ Which district did he live in? Was the reaping soon? What year was it? Did that big shiny thing want him to be in the Games? He forced himself to take a deep breath. He was seventeen, and he wasn't dead or in Victor's Village, so he assumed he'd never been picked. If he hadn't been picked before, he wouldn't be picked now. Right?

He searched Future Percy's memories for answers. It was June 21. _Which June 21?_ he asked himself. The 73rd Hunger Games were last year, so this year was Katniss's Games. The reaping was today, in maybe six hours, judging by the sun's position. He and his family, the Jacksons, lived in District 12. Future Percy had no idea what Mr. Shiny wanted. The only memories of him – it – existed in Now Percy's brain. He put the thought out of his mind and went downstairs.

Percy's father was still asleep. He never got up before 10 a.m. Percy put on a pair of shoes and went to look for Annabeth – who, luckily, was still his girlfriend. His fake memory certainly helped. Annabeth's new last name was Undersee. She was the mayor's daughter and had a sister a year younger than her named Madge. Also, she was the only one who called him Percy – everyone else called him Perseus, his real name. Percy hiked to the nicer part of the district, and since the train station was right on the edge of the not-nicer part (which Percy was not particularly thankful for), it took about two hours, maybe more. When Percy arrived, he spotted Future Annabeth's friends, Katniss and Gale. They sold her family strawberries.

Oh, gods. Katniss Everdeen. Future Percy saw her every day, but Now Percy was really confused. Should he ask for her autograph? Tell her about the Katniss/Peeta ship? Tell her about the Katniss/Gale ship? Declare that he was on Team Peeta (and not just because Peeta won)? Was that even really Katniss? She didn't look anything like she had in the movie. She was wearing the leather jacket and her hair was braided, but otherwise, she was totally different. Even the braid was different; it was very loose and straight down her back. And it was black. It was obviously dark, but Percy hadn't noticed how black it was. Gale looked the same – without the braid, of course. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought they were siblings.

After what looked like a small argument, the two left. Gale looked angry but tried to hide it. Madge began to close the door, her face closed off. "Madge!" Percy called.

She turned around. "Oh, hey, Perseus! Come in. Do you want some water?"

"Yes, please," he said. There was air conditioning inside. Percy stood in front of a vent for a few minutes – he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it.

As Madge was pouring him a glass of water, Annabeth came downstairs, her expression a little bewildered. When she saw Percy, she looked quite relieved. "Hey, Percy," she said. Her voice was casual, but her eyes betrayed just how happy she was to see him. Maybe she'd been up in her room for the past two hours, wondering if Percy was coming. Apparently, Future Annabeth hadn't helped any, leaving Now Annabeth unaware of the time it took to walk there.

"Morning," Percy replied. "How are you?"

"Hungry. Madge, what's for breakfast?" she asked.

"Father and I had apples and honey on bread. An hour ago. What would _you_ like for breakfast?" Madge said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Do we have any apples left?" In response, Percy grabbed one and tossed it to her. Madge started giggling her head off, and Annabeth blushed, the apple forgotten in her hand.

"What?" Percy demanded.

"Perseus," Madge said between peals of laughter, "that's a kind of marriage proposal, remember?"

Percy blinked. He had thought that was an Ancient Greece thing. Nothing like that had been in the movies! He tried to apologize, but all he could manage was, "Um..."

Annabeth took his hand and kissed him. "Don't worry, Seaweed Brain. The wedding can wait a few years."

"Why do you call him that? Just because he's from District Four?" Madge asked, having calmed down a bit. She had the hiccups now, though, so the questions were perforated with _hics._

"That's part of it. Mostly because his brain is full of seaweed," Annabeth replied.

"Hey!" Percy protested. "My brain's full of... whatever is in brains other than seaweed."

"I beg to differ," Madge muttered. Percy shot eye daggers at her, but she easily deflected them. This girl was good.

Annabeth grabbed a knife and began cutting up the apple, giving half of it to Percy. He was too embarrassed to taste it, but it was good for his grumbling stomach.

"What time is it?" Annabeth asked. Madge went to the living room, where one of the house's three clocks resided.

"Ten twenty-seven," Madge called. "There's three and a half hours until the reaping."

"Thanks, Madge," Annabeth said when Madge came back into the kitchen. "What are you going to wear?"

"Probably my white short-sleeve dress," she replied. The girls started talking about clothes, and Percy tuned them out.

In the movies, Prim, Katniss's sister, was reaped, and Katniss volunteered. Then Peeta was reaped. _What if I volunteered?_ If the story changed, would the books and movies be different? What would his friends say when they saw him (or an actor pretending to be him) onscreen? What would _he_ say? Mr. Shiny had said that when he went home, he and Annabeth wouldn't remember anything. Percy rubbed his right forearm. He had subconsciously made a habit of doing that whenever he was thinking hard. Usually, he felt his SPQR brand from his time at Camp Jupiter, but now he only felt smooth skin. He looked down, and sure enough, the black marks had disappeared.

Annabeth glanced at his arm when she noticed Percy examining it. Her expression changed quickly from confusion to surprise, then back to a mask of calm and cheerfulness, all the while keeping up the conversation with Madge. Percy would never understand how she did that.

Annabeth was probably about to say something to Percy – probably; Percy could never tell with Annabeth – when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it!" Madge said and went to the door. Almost before she'd opened it all the way, a small figure dashed inside and crashed into Percy. With a start, Percy realized it was his little brother.

"Hey, big guy," he said. "What are you here for?"

"You left me at home," Tyson whimpered. Percy could see a tear in the corner of one of his big brown eyes, and realized Future Percy had forgotten something. He knew what it was before Tyson told him. "Father f-found out that I took his liquor, so he couldn't drink it, y-you know, and... and..."

"Tyson, I am so sorry. Where...?"

Tyson sniffed. "My back," he said. "Up high."

Percy undid the buttons on the back of Tyson's shirt, and Madge gasped. The opening revealed a few purplish bruises from where Percy's father had hit Tyson.

"Perseus, you never told me about this. I could have – I mean, maybe the Everdeens – I could have helped, Perseus," Madge stammered.

"Sorry, Madge. We were trying to keep it a secret. The Peacekeepers don't really care, but we didn't want pity," Percy explained.

"You told Annabeth," she pointed out.

"No offense, but she's my girlfriend. She doesn't count."

"I don't _count?_ " Annabeth asked, her eyebrows raised.

Percy threw up his hands in surrender. "I said no offense."

"You know that doesn't –"

"This is cute, but I think Tyson could use a bit of ice," Madge interrupted. Tyson nodded his head pitifully in agreement.

"I'll grab you some, big guy." Percy hurried to the kitchen and wrapped a chunk of ice from the freezer in a thin white towel, a little jealous of the Undersees' fridge. _It's a sad thing when you're jealous of someone because they have a basic kitchen appliance,_ he thought.

Tyson had tears running down his cheeks by the time Percy got back. Percy didn't know how he'd survived the walk there. Maybe he'd puppy-eyed his way into Effie Trinket's car for a ride – he had really good puppy eyes. Plus, if you see an adorable crying child who looks like he's been walking for ages while you're cruising around in your fancy car, what are you going to do?

Percy handed the ice to Annabeth while he picked Tyson up. He should have been too heavy, but between Percy's strength from hauling boxes at the train station and the fact that Father didn't give Tyson dinner whenever he was drunk – which was a lot – it was really easy. They must have looked like some crazy parade as they walked to the living room, with Percy carrying Tyson, Annabeth holding the ice to Tyson's back, and Madge following behind them. As soon as Percy sat down on the couch, still holding his little brother, Tyson started weeping. It felt like someone was squeezing Percy's chest harder every time Tyson sobbed. He hadn't felt like that since being in Tartarus with Annabeth. It was a mixture of pain, anguish, and rage. He wanted to beat his dad up for hurting Tyson, and he was sure he'd be perfectly capable.


End file.
